Increasing uptake of the HPV vaccine among young people for RM Partners Cancer Alliance

The HPV vaccine can reduce cervical cancer rates by 90%, and save many lives. Yet, for some young people West London, HPV vaccine uptake rates have been declining. 

We helped RM Partners to develop a communications campaign to address this, promoting attendance at HPV vaccine catch-up clinics and seeking to drive uptake among students.  

A literature review helped us develop a COM-B behavioural hypothesis, and we developed creative stimulus to take to co-design sessions with students from diverse backgrounds. We also spoke to school leaders to hear their insights on channels to reach our audience.   

The co-design sessions challenged some of our desk research findings, including the role of parents, which was less influential than expected. We also discovered fear and uncertainty to be less of a barrier than anticipated.   

Less surprising was the low level of understanding of HPV in the first place, so comms needed to build awareness first, with space for conversation with trusted adults, before rushing to consent forms. We also needed to increase salience of the vaccine, using the ‘endowment effect’ to show that it’s for them.  

The groups told us to keep our approach clear, conversational, and factual, emphasising the link between HPV and cancer, and the protective effect of the vaccine, which was not well understood. For parents, we needed a succinct visual document to explain why the vaccine matters and what they need to do.  

Our content used speech bubbles and conversational Q&A style copy. We maximised the channels available in schools and on campus, including display screens, toilet door posters, Q&A sessions in PSHE lessons and tutor groups and more.  

We trialled the approach in two pilot schools, and a survey from one told us that 98% felt the resources helped them to understand HPV vaccination, with 28% not knowing what the vaccine was before the campaign.  

Our resource packs are now being used by a range of other schools and in the wider community to build awareness of HPV and encourage vaccination.